The Jersey Shore Jazz and Blues Foundation (JSJBF) will close out its Summer Series of Festivals Aug. 29 in Long Branch.
The festival will take place from noon to 9:45 p.m. on the Great Lawn on the Long Branch Boardwalk at Cooper Avenue, with fireworks following the performance. The festival is rain or shine and free to the public.
Thousands are expected to come out for the day of live jazz and blues performances, food and beverages, crafters and sponsor exhibits, and a children’s activity area.
Unique to the festival will be a “Doggie Bar” to keep pups refreshed all day long.
“Our award-winning summer festival has been entertaining jazz and blues fans on the Jersey Shore for more than 25 years,“ said festival organizer Dennis Eschbach. “We attract thousands of visitors of all ages. Thanks to the support of our musicians, volunteers, sponsors and host towns, we’re able to keep jazz and blues music alive and rolling in the region.”
Headliner for the Long Branch Jazz and Blues Festival is Funktion 11 with their “hard-drivin’ big band blues.” The group mixes original compositions and dynamic interpretations of iconic and contemporary hits, and brings an international and contemporary spin to the funk tradition with three vocalists, an electric guitar, electric bass, keyboards, a four-piece horn section, drums and percussion. For more on Funktion 11, visit www.funktion11.com.
Other performers include Stringbean & The Stalkers, Sherri Pie Band, Jonny B. & the Blues Blazers, Brianna Thomas and Sharon Crenshaw. Food vendors, including Enzo’s Pizza, Station 1 Seafood, Squeezed Fresh Lemonade, Mobile Mardi Gras, Jakes’s Crabshack, and many more will provide a variety of options for hungry festival goers. And for those with a sweet tooth, Kupcake Kouture, D.J.’s Ice Cream Truck, and John & Debbie O’s will serve will be on the scene.
Founded in 1987, the nonprofit Jersey Shore Jazz and Blues Foundation remains dedicated to preserve, promote and perpetuate jazz and blues on the Jersey Shore through performance and education. Visit http://www.jsjbf.org for more information.